Here is a small collection of images that truly made a strong impression with me in the year of 2013.

I know I have missed some photos that certainly should be included here.

If I missed one of your images and you feel that it should be included here, send me a private note and I will consider it for my next "Most Awesome" journal. In the meantime, I truly hope I did not offend you and I encourage you to contact me if you'd like feedback or just have a discussion with me. I will try my best to provide constructive feedback so that you can improve.

By the way, one of the reasons for me doing this is to improve as a photographer. Forcing myself to select the best shots and put into words why helps me take better photos!

Layering creates depth in photography and is hard to do. Here, sandas took an every-day scene and beautifully executed "layering", which creates fantastic depth and hence life and interest to the scene.

Here, we have a rather graphic image but it captures one aspect of Street Photography which is to utilize backgrounds to interact with your actor(s). I believe it demonstrates the artist's ability to integrate visually; something that is hard to do...

This image is amazing for multiple reasons but for me, its most important attribute is that it portrays an every-day event in a beautiful way. Unbelievable amount of detail in this photo. Read my Critique of this image for a more in-depth analysis.

Here is a good example of carefully setting your camera; in this case, a slower shutter speed blurs the people in the background a bit and accentuates the mood of the tired woman. Again, a splendid shot!

Yet another example of layering. This image captures individuals engaged in mundane activities but because of the layering, the image is full of interesting activities and engages the viewer to inspect every inch.

Very simple image in terms of its content, yet so effective. Additionally, I think that the picture exemplifies how rather small things, such as pipe smoke, can take an ordinary picture into another category. Note also the rather aggressive post-processing (high structure or clarity) which I thinks works well here. Although I'm sure the photo would be effective without the somewhat aggressive post-processing.

This particular photographer has his own color signature which means that his photographs are recognizable by their color palettes. This certainly can be refined in post-processing but is established at the time of capture. He knows light and tends to capture images only when the light will give him the right results. Very difficult to do and he know how to do that well... Go visit his galleries and see what I mean.

Cheers and I cannot wait for next year to see more amazing images!Patrick